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TRP: Goro and Raef (Leech)
LINA Day 260, the woods outside Ezra's encampment. Goro was careful to stay close enough to be within yelling distance of the rest of the group. As far as he was concerned, they were still in enemy territory, which meant he couldn't relax yet. And that meant whatever healing he had left--a few charges on the Foxtail, and he could pray over people some too if it came down to it--needed to be saved. He also knew for fuckin' sure people would yell at him if they knew he wasn't healing himself, so he had to be evasive about it. Part of him liked it when people fretted, but it was a small part. A lot more of him was concerned with a scenario where he gave in, fixed himself up, then regretted it an hour later when someone else got hurt and he couldn't do a damn thing to help them. He sat with his back against a tree trunk, eyes closed, shivering. He'd swiped a blanket from some dead soldier's pack and had it wrapped tight around himself, but it hardly did a thing. That fucking necrotic damage. Made you cold in your bones. MINK Maybe he should've cared when Gavi knelt down to hold Ezra's body and begged Luci to save him. Maybe he should've felt something other than the cold hollowness as he turned Azrael's jaw in his hand. But he didn't. Raef turned the jaw over as he walked towards the woods, past the ruins and the crumbled stone. He stared at the smooth bone, not thinking; he already knew what he wanted, what he needed. Goro was resting against a tree, wrapped in a blanket. Necrotic damage was a fuckin' bitch. He should probably help Goro. Instead he sat down across from him. He didn't look up from Azrael's jaw at first, turning it over twice until he forced himself to tear his gaze away to look up at his friend, his family. "I need the Leech," he said, voice quiet and soft, edging on that hollowness that spread out to the very edges of his body. LINA Goro cracked one eye open. "The what?" MINK "Your wand." LINA Goro opened the other eye. He was aware Raef was carrying that jawbone, but he was careful not to look at it, not to take his gaze off Raef's face. "The one I got from Diva," he filled in. MINK "Yes," Raef confirmed. He didn't need to - Goro wasn't stupid - but he did it anyway. He didn't want any fuckin' questions on what wand, or even why. "I need it." LINA Goro closed his eyes again. "It broke." MINK "You're a fuckin' liar." LINA He kept his eyes shut, but the corners of his mouth inched up. "What are you gonna do about it? Tell on me to my mommy?" MINK Raef's jaw tightened and the corners of his eyes hardened; he wasn't in the mood for this shit. "I'm going to ask you again for that fuckin' wand, Goro." LINA "And I'm gonna tell you the same fucking thing, which is that it's broken." Goro opened his eyes and sat up straight, leaning toward Raef a little. "Diva's dead. It doesn't work anymore." MINK "And I'm going to call you a fucking liar," Raef hissed out as he leaned forward, bending one leg to rest an arm on it. He held the jaw in his other hand. "I need that wand and I know it's not broken." LINA "I threw it in the ocean on my way to Calimport." MINK "Bull-fucking-shit." LINA "The Sanguines stole it from me when they broke into my room. You'll have to go talk to Morgan if you want it." MINK Raef's eyes narrowed. It was possible, but it was also possible Goro was still lying. "Either I go find her or you tell me the truth." LINA "Fine, fine, fine. The truth is, Hansel got sick of me threatening to use it, and he broke it." MINK His hands clenched. He had to take a swift, deep breath to keep himself where he was. "Where's the wand?" LINA "None of your fucking business." Goro pulled the blanket tighter and rested back against the tree. MINK Raef's eyebrows shot up when Goro leaned back before they knit into a frown. This was fuckin' bullshit and several thoughts raced through his mind - he didn't...fuck... He bit his tongue to steady himself. "It's my fucking business because I need it." He repeated it again. "You should fuckin' understand." LINA Goro stuck a hand out of the blanket to wave it dismissively. "Go ask Lyra to make you something, or some shit. The wand's mine." MINK Raef didn't know if he wanted to fuckin' punch Goro or fuckin' give in and weep. He was so fuckin' tired and all he wanted was to take care of Azrael, like he hadn't done. He had tired when Azrael was alive, had tried when he was dead, and he had failed both times. "...please..." LINA Goro couldn't pretend he wasn't moved at all. He could see full well how much pain Raef was in. And definitely, definitely he didn't like it. It was the shittiest part of having friends and family, he knew now. Watching them hurt. You should fuckin' understand, Raef had said, and Goro could only figure that was because Raef knew what mattered most to him. Knew the fucking lengths Goro would go to if he lost someone. That was the thing, though. Goro couldn't fucking risk losing his last resort. The thing he knew he could always turn back to if everything else failed. Thinking of it stashed away in his room, away from everyone else's grabbing hands and prying eyes, just for him, waiting... well, it gave him a little thrill every time. A little rush of fear and relief. It was his. He'd paid for it. He'd suffered with it for months, carrying it around and letting it drain the life out of him, sometimes just a little bit a day, and two times almost completely. "No," he said. "You love him so much, you'll find another way." His mouth tasted bitter, and his heart sank. Lingering side effects of the necrotic sickness, maybe. That, or he hated himself just a little bit more now. MINK ”No. You love him so much, you’ll find another way.” Raef dragged himself wordlessly dragged himself to his feet, weight settling heavily. He didn’t look at Goro and he didn’t answer him. There was nothing to be said. Goro would keep the Leech, keep the sickly wand tucked away and just out of reach - letting his fingers almost graze it, almost wrap around it, but never able to hold it. Never able to ease the ache that had settled in, never able to ease the pain that rolled just beneath the surface. ...you love him so much… But love hadn’t saved Azrael. ...you’ll find another way… He twisted the bone, the teeth rubbing and pricking against his skin. ...you love him so much… Love had never saved anyone. ...you’ll find another way… He turned and he left Goro beneath the tree, huddled under the blanket. He didn’t look at him, he didn’t turn back. He just walked, turning the jaw over again. MINK end Title: Leech Summary: Raef asks Goro for the Leech. Goro says, "No." Category:Text Roleplay